Kyoko's Eventful Three Days!
by happyunderground
Summary: Kyoko and Ren will be separated for three days, huh? Guess it's time for Kyoko's life to get turned upside down. T for language, might go to M for a lemon later on. Set after Chapter 218.
1. First Day

"…"

"…"

"…"'

"Hello?" Kanae answered.

"Moko-saaan!" Kyoko wailed into the phone. Behind her, several of the nurses eyed her cautiously and carried on. The orange-haired teenager had been fidgeting awkwardly in the corner, staring at her phone, for nearly fifteen minutes before finally calling.

Kanae pinched the bridge of her nose. "What? What is it that you have to call in the middle of the day?"

"Chiori was in a car accident! I'm at the hospital! And then we had a heart-to-heart about acting and I want to tell you about it!"

At these words, Kanae stopped in her tracks, eyes wide. "What?! What happened?"

"Well, she'd been avoiding the variety shows because it didn't suit her acting, so we had a good talk about how—"

"Not that, the first part! She was in a car accident?"

"Oh, yes, a car accident, Moko-san! When someone is in a car, and something happens—!"

"I _know_ that, but—is she okay?" Kanae clenched her eyes shut, not wanting to let her annoyance get the best of her. She _knows_ what a car accident is.

"Eh? Oh, hai!"

Kanae sighed with relief and frustration. Couldn't Kyoko have mentioned that bit of news earlier?

"But, nee, Moko-san…"

"What? What is it now?"

In the corner of the hospital, Kyoko balances the phone between her shoulder and her ear, drops to her knees, and clenches her hands before her in prayer to the Great Friendship Gods.

"Please have a girls' night with us tonight!"

"Ehhh?!"

* * *

><p>And so it came to be that the LoveMe girls were supposed to meet at L.A. Hearts, the cute café adjoining LME's first level, once Kyoko and Chiori ended filming for Box R. Kanae, though she was loathe to admit it, was actually free for the entire day. Suspecting the kind of affectionate, sugary, friendship-forming activities that were sure to spring up tonight, she had jogged for 6 miles so that she wouldn't have to war between Kyoko's puppy eyes (while undoubtedly holding an ice cream sundae) and her internal calorie counter.<p>

Kanae waited at a booth Kyoko had reserved for them, snapping her phone open and closed, staring at the glass doors where her two best friends would ultimately appear. Her eyes twitched slightly when she realized she'd admitted that they _are_ her two best friends, but the annoyance didn't last long. Kyoko had been off filming for a long time, and Chiori had been wrapped up in her own mysterious filming, and she was concerned about the car accident. Chiori had already suffered an accident when she was a child actor and was _still_ suffering from it.

_I should be worrying about myself, though,_ she huffed. Kanae's biggest filming prospect was set to start tomorrow morning. Reminded of the cast and crew listed in the script, she wondered if she could ask Kyoko if the name Mogami Saena meant anything to her. From what Kanae knew about Kyoko's family, there weren't any relatives she'd be happy to see.

Shaking her head, Kanae redoubled her focus on the glass doors just as the two girls made their way into view, Kyoko laughing while accidentally pushing on the doors instead of pulling. Surprising herself with what was probably a very sweet smile at the sight, Kanae quickly reworked her face and stood up from the booth.

"Mo! You're late!" Kanae chided, even though it probably wasn't even true.

"Moko-san!" Kyoko ran towards Kanae, Chiori following with the indulgent smile of a parent at a candy store.

Allowing herself to get swept into the hug, Kanae huffed slightly before taking a deep breath and carefully placing her arms around Kyoko.

Sure enough, Kyoko tightened the hug in excitement and Kanae was thankful for the lungful of air. Chiori sent her an understanding, grimacing smile while stretching out her shoulders a little. Surely Kyoko had fallen into hug-mode once she realized it wouldn't threaten Chiori's injury.

Deciding that fifteen seconds of contact was long enough for the girl to have gotten it out of her system, Kanae pushed Kyoko off with a blush and a scowl.

"Glad you're finally back," Kanae muttered.

"Un!" Kyoko beamed.

Kanae turned and headed back to the booth, while Chiori followed and Kyoko wandered off to the host desk to ask for a waiter.

Glancing over at Chiori, and the bandage around her neck, Kanae quickly reached out for the girl, catching her in a quick and awkward hug. "I'm relieved you're okay, too," Kanae admitted, looking away from Chiori.

Surprised, Chiori nonetheless smiled at Kanae's back while she hopped up into the booth. "Thank you," she returned. _Looks like someone's rubbed off on you._ Scooting up into the booth as Kyoko returned, the three girls relaxed and started to catch up the past few weeks that they'd spent apart.

"What about you, Kyoko? You haven't said much about the _dangerous mission_ the president sent you on."

Kyoko immediately reddened. Even though she had been prepared to have this conversation with her friends, for some reason the risqué night she spent—_no, that Setsu spent —_with Cain—_on top of Cain_—immediately came to her mind. Trying to avert her eyes, they nonetheless noticed the dessert spoons served with the ice cream sundaes, reminding her of Ren on Valentine's Day.

Ridding her mind of such thoughts, especially in the presence of her wonderful friends, Kyoko clenched her eyes closed and clasped her hands together again in prayer to the Friendship Gods, still holding the dessert spoon. "I promise, promise, promise I will tell you both someday! I swear on my life as an actress! But…for now…it's secret," she finished lamely, looking down at the table.

Both Kanae and Chiori raised an eyebrow at each other. Kanae then shrugged. "A job's a job, right? So long as he's not making you do something unreasonable."

"Ah…hai."

Chiori noticed the deflation of her cheeriest friend with concern. "Kyoko-chan, are you okay? Do you want to go home?"

Kyoko glanced up, a bit of fire relit in her eyes. "Never! I haven't seen you two in what feels like ages!" Now that she was smiling again, the two other girls relaxed. "Plus, Amamiya-san, after what you just went through, I really want to try to cheer you up a little."

Kanae twirled her spoon in her sundae, trying to spin it fifty times before taking another bite, in order to pace herself. "So, what do you have planned for the night?"

The table was silent. Kanae glanced up from her measured spoon handling to see Kyoko nervously glancing at her with the most shining, hopeful, pitiful puppy eyes yet.

Kanae pinched the bridge of her nose again, closing her eyes. "Let me guess, a sleepover…?"

The shine in Kyoko's eyes seemed to pour out into the air, and even without looking at her, Kanae felt their effect.

"Okay. Okay! Let me just…see who's home tonight."

As Kanae started to pull out her cellphone amidst cheers, fanfare suddenly started to play throughout the restaurant.

Glancing up, Kanae found Chiori and Kyoko equally confused as they looked around the restaurant. Other guests, mostly managers and their charges, looked around in confusion.

Then, suddenly, everyone remembered they worked at LME.

The president made his entrance through a rotating bookshelf on the opposite wall. Guests nearby quickly scampered out of the way as an enormous, white, puffy cloud seemed to float into the room with Lory Takarada on top of it.

Suspicious, Kanae glanced at the bottom of the cloud to see a dozen pairs of feet sliding in unison. Realizing that the president probably had a staff of workers for this exact purpose, Kanae shuddered in relief that her LoveMe tasks didn't involve carrying a half-naked old man around.

Laughing magnanimously from his perch, Lory, dressed as Cupid today, readied an arrow and aimed it into the crowd. When it landed on the LoveMe girls' table, all three girls gulped and pitying glances were aimed at them from throughout the room before everyone hurriedly turned away from the sight.

A person-sized cloud moved up towards the president's perch, and the president gracefully moved to sit upon the cloud's no-doubt shoulders. Kanae grimaced. _Definitely could've gotten into a worse department._

Lory Takarada approached the girls atop his mount. "My loveliest rosebuds! A little bee told me that you girls are in need of bonding tonight, for you have reunited despite dire circumstances!"

Immediately, the dark-haired girls looked at Kyoko, who scratched the back of her head, admitting quietly, "I may have gotten a little carried away when I made the reservation for our booth…"

"And so **I**," Lory interrupted, booming, "have decided to send my blossoming princesses out for a night on the town!"

"Um, no, President, you don't have to…" Chiori tried to say, fearful as she was of this wildly eccentric man.

"And you shall do it," Lory continued, "as a LoveMe task! For which I shall secretly observe you and grade you in your friendship-love!"

Kanae facepalmed while Chiori laughed uncomfortably and Kyoko just looked apologetic. Hopefully no one had to work early tomorrow…

* * *

><p>Three hours later, the girls had had enough. The president hadn't even needed to threaten them with a "secret observer"; Sebastian had insisted on chaperoning them the entire time. This guy was impossible to dodge! (If you had to keep tabs on and keep up with the president, you'd have to be.)<p>

Still, as he dropped them off at Kanae's place and they bowed goodnight, the girls all shared common smiles. They had to admit it was definitely the most fun night they'd had in a long time. They'd been sent to an imperial-era style restaurant for dinner (to please Kyoko), a Victorian gothic-era themed dancing hall for dancing lessons (which Chiori loved, but didn't even realize had been aimed at her), and finally an upscale metro bar that served low-calorie desserts in cocktail glasses (that even Kanae admitted was a do-again). While they didn't have real alcohol at the bar, all three girls felt a little intoxicated with the evening's events.

Motioning behind her to "shush", Kanae carefully creaked the door open, fearing what would happen if the household woke up at this time of night. To her surprise, the lights were totally off in the house, and Kanae spotted a simple note left on the counter.

"_We won tickets to stay at a resort! For all eight of us! Can you imagine the odds?!_

_Oh. Sorry we didn't invite you! Enjoy having the house to yourself! :)__"_

Kyoko and Chiori, who read the note over Kanae's shoulder, giggled to themselves at the president's efforts, while Kanae just rubbed her temple and sighed.

"Okay girls, even if we have the house to ourselves, we are going to bed _now_. I am not going to lose any sleep because of that guy's antics."

Nodding while still suppressing giggles, Kyoko and Chiori agreed, and the three settled down for the night.

Once Kanae was sure Chiori was asleep (who really needed rest the most at that point), she whispered, "Hey Kyoko?"

"What is it, Moko-san?"

Kanae shifted in her covers to face Kyoko. "Nothing happened while you were filming, right? Nothing weird happened?"

Kyoko again thought of Ren. Blushing in the darkness, Kyoko decided that even if she eventually told her friends about Tragic Marker, she would be too embarrassed to talk about some of the _acting_ she did as Setsu. Remembering something she _could_ talk about, however, she turned to Kanae's voice with a smile.

"Well… I _did_ have my first kiss!" Kyoko whispered with glee.

"What?!" Kanae did not whisper at this point, and Chiori sat straight up, her hair a mess.

"Zha happen?" Chiori mumbled.

"Kyoko had her first kiss!"

"What?!" Chiori shouted.

"It was with my fairy prince, Corn!" Kyoko admitted with excitement, happy to have an audience, and to have such a happy story to share.

Silence filled the room as Kyoko waited for a response.

"I'm going back to bed," Chiori muttered as she settled back in to sleep.

Within a minute or two, when her breathing had evened out, Kanae sighed and rubbed her temple in frustration. Still, she was curious. "With your fairy prince?"

"I met him when I was a child. He was always there for me, even when no one else was. And he could fly! And we ruled the hamburger kingdom together. But…he was trapped in his father's shadow, and so he couldn't really fly… The kiss that he gave me, it supposedly broke the curse. And he flew off into the sunset, I swear!"

Kanae couldn't help but smile. She was glad that Kyoko had had her first kiss, even though she was 100% certain that this was all in Kyoko's imagination. Still, if it helped cover up the fact that that _asshole_ had stolen her kiss on Valentine's Day, she had to support Kyoko's subconscious, overactive imagination. Still, it really sounded like a perfect, romantic fairytale, just like Kyoko needed…

"Although what I can't get my head around is that, well… Kanae, he had to borrow someone's appearance in order to stand in front of me, since I could no longer see his true form…"

Kanae "hmm"ed in response, still thinking about how Tsuruga probably wished he could've planned such an elaborate event to steal her first kiss and make her believe in romance again. What with that rose and that phony story, he was definitely the type to indulge her…

"Well, he looked _exactly_ like Tsuruga-san, but with blonde hair, and green eyes. It's…confusing…" Kyoko admitted sleepily, not bothering to stifle a yawn.

Next to her, Kanae was stiff. _What?_ So she ran into a guy that looked just like Tsuruga-san, and he _just so happened_ to have an elaborate fairy-tale story in place in order to steal her first kiss? Her eyes narrowed.

"Oh!" Kyoko suddenly sat up. Thinking that she had come to the same shaky conclusion Kanae had, Kanae was surprised that Kyoko had managed to figure it out. She was awfully dense sometimes.

Instead, Kyoko muttered, "Um, I wanted to check in on Tsuruga-san. To make sure he, um, ate dinner…" As Kyoko fumbled for her phone in the dark, Kanae closed her eyes and laughed. _No, of course she wouldn't think that. That's why he would've done it in disguise, right? To make it a fairy-tale with a magical prince, instead of admitting his real feelings, as a real man._

"Whatever," Kanae said. "I'm going to bed."

"Okay," Kyoko whispered back. "I missed you, Moko-san! Thank you for having this sleepover with us!"

Kanae smiled in the dark, her back towards Kyoko as Kyoko used her phone's light to guide her towards the bathroom.

Sighing as she closed the door and slid her back down against it, Kyoko opened her phone to check the time. It was only an hour later in Guam, and in Tokyo it was… 9:43. Kyoko closed her phone, deciding it was too late to call, and then nervously opened it again, wanting to hear his voice. She suppressed a blush and looked at the faded ink on her hand. _He gave me this so I wouldn't call, right? He doesn't want me to bug him. I kinda…want to tell him I landed safely. And that Chiori was in an accident! And…I'll skip the part about Sho. And maybe mention that the president sent us on a girls' night as a LoveMe mission! Maybe that would make him laugh?_

Kyoko decided on calling him, and scrunched her eyes shut as she pressed the call button and held the phone to her ear. Opening her eyes in shock, she snapped her phone shut. _Wait! He's _Cain Heel _right now, why would _Mogami Kyoko_ be calling him? What if my name shows up on his cellphone while he's out…with…people… _Realizing that Cain Heel would never willingly spend the night in the company of others, Kyoko felt a sense of relief, but then stopped immediately. _What if… he's with someone?_ Her heart ached. While she was with him, Ren was either in-character, doting on his sister, or he was the perfect gentleman. Or _close_ to the perfect gentleman. Kyoko's eyes fell downcast as she remembered him definitely acting like…someone else…someone hurting and in need of comfort. What if he was in the company of some woman now that she was gone, giving him the comfort she couldn't…?

Kyoko shook her head. _It's just… Setsu's jealousy. That's all_. She couldn't quite deal with her feelings right now. Pressing her empty hand to the floor, she was about to raise herself from the ground when her phone started vibrating in her other hand. Looking at the front screen immediately, Kyoko's face moved to a sweet, relieved smile at the name on the screen. _Tsuruga Ren._

* * *

><p>Ren had had an uneventful day filming. He had a better grasp on his characters as both Cain Heel and BJ, thanks to the stability Kyoko had provided him in the few short days they had spent together.<p>

_Uneventful, uneventful, uneventful. _Even though it was just one day, it helped him realize that a role was a role, a job was a job, and a life without Kyoko was hardly a life at all. Even with the challenges and successes of a mysterious role, rising to the challenge wasn't enough to satisfy him like it did before. Even when he was back in Japan, a day spent filming could very often contain the hope that he would see her, in the hallways at work—or in his hallway at home, waiting outside of his apartment…

Ren turned over on the mattress, relishing the thought of Kyoko coming to see him. He ignored the fact that she would be there to make sure he ate healthily. Or maybe he wanted to pretend she did it because she was worried about him. _Maybe,_ he blushed, _she could just make me bentos every morning, after..._ Ren cleared his throat to get a grip on himself.

He was lying on the mattress in the hotel room. Kyoko's bed was still neatly made by her or the housekeeping (Ren couldn't tell), and was completely empty. The whole hotel room felt empty.

_Get a grip. Get some sleep,_ he told himself.

As he was lying there, trying to get some shuteye, he recalled their last conversation. The way he told her he would live as "your me", he swore there was a reaction in her expressive eyes, but she hid it so quickly. Was he seeing things? He wouldn't put it past himself. It was…lonely here, without her, and when she _was_ there he was filled with longing. Dwelling on it now would just make it worse.

_It's fine. It's fine. Even if she can't return my feelings, so long as I can be by her side…_

_I wonder what she's doing now?_ He glanced at the clock, unable to help himself. It was 10:40. _She was probably getting ready for bed. She probably…didn't think of me today, even if I tried to leave a mark…_

Shaking his head into his pillow, Ren was about to cover his whole head with another pillow when his phone rang.

Reaching out for it like lightning, a heavenly smile crossed his face when he saw the name on the screen. _Mogami Kyoko_. He should've changed it to _Setsu Heel_ for the duration of the filming, he chastised himself. Still, he couldn't help the smile stretching his face so wide as he stared at the screen…and then the screen went blank.

Letting out a small laugh, he rolled onto his back and pictured her so perfectly. _She's probably too nervous that she'll be interrupting my character and hung up. Or that I'm asleep. Kyoko, I'd…wake up to you, any time of night…_

Clearing his throat again in a vain attempt to wipe the smile from his features (since it will clearly show in his voice), Ren opened his phone and called her back.

"…Tsuruga-san? Is that you?"

Despite his preventative measures, the smile was back, in full force. "Yes, Mogami-san. It's me."

"I'm sorry to have called you so late!" he could hear her bow. "Were you sleeping?"

Ren stretched out, his back flat against the bed, and rested his arm under his head. "No, this is fine. I haven't done anything but lie in bed since I got out of filming."

Silence. Ren pulled the phone away from his ear and glanced at it, fearful that this treasured contact would be cut short already. "Mogami-san?"

"…you mean, you haven't done anything but _eat_ and lie in bed, right, nee-san?"

_Ah. Setsu's here._ He ignored it. "Mogami-san, I'm perfectly capable of eating. I had rice. I can take care of myself, you know."

Kyoko huffed over the phone. "I'll believe that when I see it. Knowing you, you won't eat right until you're back in Japan."

"Knowing you, you'll be the one to cook for me."

Another silence. "Knowing Yashiro, you are probably correct," Kyoko said quietly.

Ren smiled. "I look forward to it, Mogami-san. I could eat your cooking for the rest of my life."

Another silence. _Was that too forward?_ Ren glanced at the phone again to make sure she was still there, but didn't say anything, instead listening intently.

"Well, at least when you get back, I guess I can… If you don't mind…" _Was that a smile? Do I hear a smile in her voice?_ Ren relaxed, allowing himself the indulgence of believing she was smiling at the thought of cooking for him. "But until then, too! You need to eat properly! Three times a day, I tell you!" Ren winced.

"Yes, sure, Mogami-san." Ren cleared his throat again, hoping to change topics. "How was your day, anyway? Did anything happen?"

Silence. _This girl is going to be the death of me_. "Well…" Kyoko started. Ren's eyes darkened as a certain blonde flashed into his mind. A certain blonde that always seemed to show up whenever Ren wasn't around to guard Kyoko. Really, he should ask Yashiro to befriend the brat's manager so he could keep tabs on him. _Too far, Ren. Yashiro would never let you live it down, either._

"Mogami-san…" Ren started.

"Chiori-san was in an accident."

Ren's eyes opened wide, ashamed for assuming she had met up with that punk. "Amamiya-san was? Is she okay?"

"Yes," Kyoko answered. "Thankfully. It was so scary though, Tsuruga-san, I was so worried."

Ren's eyes closed again in relief. "I'm glad to hear that she's okay. I'm sorry you were scared." _I wish I was there._

"Un. I'm honestly scared to learn how to drive, Tsuruga-san. It just seems so dangerous."

Thinking of a darker accident, Ren couldn't help but agree. "It is. Please be careful when you're on your bike too, Mogami-san. Try to call me for rides whenever you can, I'm always here for you." Silence. _You're too forward tonight, Ren._ He cleared his throat. "Well, I'm glad she's okay. Is she going to take time off of filming?"

"No, actually, the doctor said she's fine. And she did agree to widen her acting roles now, which is great news."

"That _is_ great news."

"And, another good thing did happen because of the accident."

Ren's eyebrow rose at the quiet excitement in her voice. "Oh?"

"Yes, the, uh, the President threw us a girls' night in celebration of our reunion."

Ren couldn't help but chuckle into the phone. He heard Kyoko laugh quietly as well. "Well, that sounds like a blast. I'm sure you're awfully tired now."

"I am," she answered. He could hear the contentment in her voice. She yawned, and he leaned his head back, deep into the pillow, pressing the sound of her into his ear as he tried to imagine she was on the next bed over, readying herself for bed.

"Well, thank you for calling, Mogami-san."

"Thank you for calling me back, Tsuruga-san."

"Always. Good night, get some rest for tomorrow. I'll see you in two days."

"Thank you, Tsuruga-san. Good night."

Ren closed his phone and drifted off into a blissful dreamland, mentally repeating the sound of her smiling voice until it morphed into _Good night, Ren,_ and he imagined the source of it tucked into the crook of his arm, snuggling into him.

* * *

><p><em>RING! RING! RING!<em>

Kanae, with the quickest reflexes, reached out and snapped the phone open. "What?!" she barked.

No one responded and Kanae started to wake up. From the feel of it in her hands, Kanae realized the shape of the phone was off—it must be Kyoko's—and she realized who this must be. "Look, Tsuruga-san, get your act together! She's sleeping! And you'd better sleep too to prepare yourself for the beating I'm going to give you for interrupting an actress' beauty sleep—!"

"HEY!" came the angry shout over the phone. Kanae opened her eyes, realizing the voice did not belong to Japan's number one bachelor.

Moving the phone away from her face even as the voice continued, Kanae looked at the number: Blocked Caller. Pulling the phone back to her ear, Kanae interrupted, "Who is this?"

"It's Sho! Where's Kyoko?!"

Kanae's fuse lit back up again. "Mo! What the hell are you doing calling her late at night? Who do you think you are?"

"Who the hell do you think _you_ are, you bitch! _I'm_ her best friend! And I need to know where she is! And why would _he_ be calling—"

"Oh yeah?" Kanae fumed, sensing the rousing of the two girls near her, "Well right now she's sleeping next to _me_, her real BEST FRIEND! On what _planet_ are you anything but a thorn in her side? Now shut the _hell_ up and don't call her again!"

Kanae slammed the phone shut and huffed while burying herself back into bed. Realizing that she wasn't going to say anything on her own, Kyoko prompted her, "Moko-san? Who was that?"

"Nobody! Go to bed!"

* * *

><p><strong>Well, there you have it. My first Skip Beat chapter fic. I had been wanting to write a Skip Beat fanfiction for a long time, and when I finally sat down to write one I didn't stop for five hours. This story will probably be around three chapters long, and I've already got the next one written up… I'm struggling with the third because, of course, I want Ren and Kyoko to end up together, but there are already so many great fics that cover the whole "confession" thing… Maybe I'll just jump to the citrus. Hahaha.<strong>

**Thanks for reading!**


	2. Second Day, Part 1

Sho did not have a good night. In fact, he'd had a really, really bad night. On his way to check on Kyoko, she had called him up to break up with him for Tsuruga Ren, and he'd then gotten hit by a car and mugged.

At least, this was only what Shoko imagined once she saw him.

In reality, Sho had just been brooding all night. Jiggling his knee while he slouched in the backseat of the van (Shoko was on the phone just outside), Sho's thoughts continued to turn dark as he glared at nothing in particular.

_"On what _planet_ are you anything but a thorn in her side?"_

Who did that bitch think she was? And who did _Kyoko_ think she was to be associating with those kinds of people? Sho knew plenty about women in the entertainment business. Less than he let on, but still plenty. Agitated, Sho continued to glare before forcing himself to recall their conversation yesterday. _Top actress in Japan, huh? That suits me just fine! Think of nothing else, for now._

Then, from the murky, swampy depths of Sho's heart, he'd feel a pinprick of pain. Glaring angrily again, with spirit-fire roaring behind his head, Sho thought: _No! Think of _me_, dammit!_

That was the circular progress of the poor, confused, vindictive teenage boy's train of thought throughout the night.

A knock at the window caused Sho's head to jerk in reaction. Just outside the surely-darkly-tinted van window was a cold, menacing face Sho hadn't seen in more than ten years. Saena.

Moving to open the van door as she stepped back, Sho noticed Shoko standing back, looking angry and insulted.

Not bothering to move out of the van, Sho merely jutted his chin up at her and challenged her with his eyes. "What?" He could see Shoko whip her head at him for his disrespect, but she said nothing.

"You're bringing me to LME today."

"Like _hell_ I am! Why do I need to take you?"

"Sho—" Shoko started in the background.

"I'll tell your parents where you live."

Sho glared up at her. _You'll tell them anyways._

"And I'll sue you for abducting a minor." Saena added as she glared back and despite himself, Sho looked away. _LME, huh? Fine! This is just another opportunity for me to take over Kyoko's heart. She owes me after last night, I was just trying to check up on her when she didn't come home!_

Sho snorted. "Fine. But you'll have to wait until I'm free, first."

"I don't care about your schedule. Your manager will take care of it." Without another word, Saena moved to sit in the front seat of the van.

Making angry eye contact with Shoko, who seemed to be an anxious mix of pity and frustration, Sho leaned back and sighed as he slid the van door closed.

Shoko entered the car, rummaged through the center console for a headset, and started the car while furiously rescheduling Sho's day.

* * *

><p>Across town, the girls all tried to get ready for work, rushing under Kanae's orders even though they had plenty of time. Chiori was going to start her first job on a morning variety show, and her manager was already on her way over when she called to wake her up. Kyoko, not having any LoveMe tasks until noon, decided to accompany Kanae to her acting job at LME, and then get an early start on her noon tasks.<p>

When the train deposited the two girls at LME, Kyoko was running on the high that came from having a sleepover with her best friends. And they hadn't seen each other in forever! Insisting on accompanying Kanae to the set, Kyoko skipped along through the corridors, trying to stay quiet as she could sense Kanae's annoyance growing.

"Would you—just—stop? You're embarrassing me! This will be my first time acting for this crowd!"

Kyoko stopped skipping. "Really, Moko-san? Haven't you met them before?"

"The director took us out to dinner when the cast was decided, but he was so excited he talked about the script the whole night and no one else could get a word in edgewise. I didn't even get the names of the crew I'm working with." Suddenly, Kanae remembered the name on the casting list and stopped short. She hadn't had a chance to ask Kyoko about it last night. _The name Mogami Saena, does it mean anything to her?_ Right now, the redhead's eyes were shining with what was surely Kyoko's belief in Kanae's acting skills. She couldn't really bear to bring up memories of her family. Besides, what were the chances that that woman was Kyoko's mother?

Shaking her head and moving forward, Kanae decided against it. Maybe later.

The chances of that woman being Kyoko's mother were confirmed as they rounded the corner and came face-to-face with Mogami Saena.

* * *

><p>Kyoko was in shock. Here, in LME… Here, in Tokyo… <em>What was her mother doing here?<em>

Kyoko rubbed her eyes and the visage of her mother seemed to sneer at her.

She was a fairly tall woman, and looked young for her age. Her hair was wrapped into a tight bun at the crown of her head, and her wire-framed glasses were very plain against her smooth, perfect white face. She had black eyes and a seemingly permanent frown.

Those black eyes glazed over Kyoko's form as the frozen teenager failed to respond. Kanae, sensing the tension, was just about to ask who this woman was when she was startled by the woman's icy gaze on her.

"You."

Neither girl responded, seemingly at a loss for words.

Still looking at Kanae, Saena repeated, "You. You're the inexperienced actress in _Under the Counter_, right? You're late."

Without another word, Saena walked forward three steps, reached out for Kanae's arm, and marched the girl into the studio behind her without giving a second glance to the orange-haired girl.

Kyoko stood there, lifeless. "Mother," she mouthed wordlessly.

While standing there, emptily staring at the space in front of her, someone stepped in front of her.

"Hey! Dimwit! What are you doing standing around like a lost kid?"

Kyoko soullessly looked up to find Sho glaring down at her. Unable to respond, unprovoked, Kyoko only stared into Sho's eyes, maintaining the same fear she's felt ever since her mother appeared before her.

Sho's face started to transform at the sight of the girl in front of him. Looking away, looking anywhere but her, he finally just closed his eyes and breathed, "Whatever." Looking back down at her, Kyoko had moved her gaze to the floor. "Oi. Snap out of it."

"She… didn't even look at me. She barely looked at me but it still felt like… with her eyes, she was saying I'm…" _I'm not good enough,_ Kyoko finished internally. Even Sho appearing in front of her didn't faze her once it settled in that her mother really was there. She felt her eyes starting to burn.

Sho froze. This was… _Kyoko never cried in front of him_. He was torn between shaking her, slapping her, telling her to snap out of it, and…

Eyes wide and covering his mouth with one hand while glancing down both directions of the corridor, Sho slowly reached out to her with his other hand. This was… How he would stop Mimori from crying, but Kyoko… _Kyoko was different,_ Sho admitted blithely.

Before he even had the chance to continue reaching out to her, Kyoko stood ramrod-straight and slapped both hands to her cheeks. "Yosh! Nevermind all that, Kyoko! You have a job to do!" And with that, she turned around within the wide arc of Sho's useless arm and marched off into the other direction.

Sho sighed and dropped his arm to his side. His timing…was always off.

Turning around, he headed past the open door of the studio that he figured Saena had headed into, settling onto the bleachers as he waited for some kind of bomb to drop. Sho's parents had warned him that he should show Saena around while she was in town, and to arrange the meeting between her and Kyoko whenever Saena requested it. He figured she must be here for trouble.

Now Sho was stuck in the audience bleachers for some dumb drama while Saena criticized some dumb actress for not pronouncing some dumb legal terms correctly. He watched as the raven-haired girl held in her rage for several takes while Saena cut into her ruthlessly, interrupting each one. Sho could barely hear the difference in their pronunciations, but now it made sense to him that Saena would adopt this kind of career. She was the kind of woman who pursued perfection, accuracy, and exactness in all things.

Sho's eyes narrowed as he considered what she must be doing in Tokyo. Was it just for this? Surely they could have someone other than her reviewing legal references in a drama. Did she even work in Tokyo? _And why drag me around? It's not like she needs me._ Sho's eyes narrowed. _Or anyone._

Shaking his head and pulling out his phone to check his fan forums, Sho decided it was none of his business. If she was here for Kyoko, maybe she'd convince her to go back to Kyoto. _Not before cutting her down_, Sho thought. His knee started jiggling angrily again, thinking about the phone call last night. _Why would Tsuruga be calling? First Beagle, now this? Is he after her?_ His face twisted into a scowl. _She swore she wouldn't fall for that pinhead. If she did…_

Sho focused on his phone again. _If she did, I'll send her home. I'll keep her where she'll think about no one but me._

* * *

><p>Kyoko decided to mop. She decided to mop all of the hardly-used bathrooms and hallways of the fourth floor north wing. If the president knew she was doing it to keep her mind from dealing with other things, he would scold her. But she decided that no one would really notice her over here, anyways. <em>They would glance right past me, like…<em>

Kyoko decided to hum, too. She hummed nonsense, just nonsensical tunes as she pushed the mop around the floor, catching nothing but the dust that had gathered since the last time she needed to vent her frustration through a wet broom. Kyoko didn't really listen to music, anyways. _I haven't really listened to music since I threw out Sho's albums…_

And Kyoko decided that everything was okay. The birds were singing outside, it was a beautiful morning in late April. She had just had a sleepover with her best friends! And she got to talk to Tsuruga-san, too. Not noticing her own face heating up, Kyoko recalled their conversation. _"I could eat your cooking for the rest of my life."_ And with that, Kyoko was at peace, or at least, at peace enough. She kept humming her nonsense tunes, power-mopping her way across the department, until—

_Clack. Clack. Clack._

A pair of black, pointed, perfectly polished shoes came into view. Kyoko froze, and looked up.

Two terrible faces were in front of her.

To the side, Sho looked horrified, looking her up and down. She vaguely recalled that she was dressed in her LoveMe uniform, and then felt all-too-aware that she was also mopping an unused department space.

Sliding her eyes towards the person with the most gravity in the room, Kyoko finally made eye contact with her mother.

Of all of the disappointed, condescending sneers Kyoko had ever had pointed her way, this had to be the worst.

Kyoko was still frozen, but her curse minions had decided to come together for her, drawn out by her mother's malice. _Act_, they chanted. _Act, Kyoko!_

And so Kyoko relaxed. She leaned the mop handle to the side, gave a half-bow, and cheerily announced: "Good mornin'!" before smiling a blinding smile, erecting the mop handle, and pushing to the side of the two strangers.

Kyoko was almost in the clear when a cold, sharp voice cut into her: "Kyoko."

Kyoko tried not to freeze. Her curse minions, while drawn to the negative energy behind them, urged her forward.

"I've requested audience at your filming this afternoon. If I'm not satisfied with your efforts here, I'm sending you back to Kyoto where you can serve a purpose you can't fuck up. Given your apparent status here, and the reviews I've seen for your current show, it hardly seems worth my time. Don't be late."

_Clack. Clack. Clack._ Her mother's heels made forceful sounds against the linoleum she had just cleaned.

Kyoko, despite her best efforts, was still frozen. Her acting façade hadn't been strong enough, even though she should have been able to hold down the role of an okami indulging guests.

Sho, unnoticed, had been left behind by Saena, and ignored by Kyoko. Deciding that he couldn't treat her like Mimori, _didn't want to treat her like Mimori,_ he started to fume, stomping up to the pink atrocity before him.

Standing in front of her, Sho grabbed her shoulders and forced her to look up at him.

She had those terrified eyes again. Forcing down the fear he felt at her helplessness, _since she's always the tough one_, Sho started to shake her. "Are you just going to let her win?! I thought you were going to become the best actress in Japan, and even upstage me!"

Kyoko's eyebrows started to knit together, but she still wasn't focusing her eyes.

"_Harden your damn heart, Kyoko! _If you can put up such a fight against _me_, you are NOT going to lose to her! It was a challenge! You can live up to the challenge of some woman that…that doesn't even know you anymore! Don't give in to her, to anyone!" He barely stopped himself from mentioning that she needed to resist that frickin' pinhead, too—he wasn't the enemy here.

Kyoko finally focused her eyes, and they were focused on his face. Just having her attention on him made him grow cocky. "If _anyone's_ going to send you back to that godforsaken hick-town, it's going to be _me_!"

Finally, _finally_, the fire was lit in her eyes and Sho felt a sudden surge of pride. Before he had the chance to say anything else and make himself look like a jackass [A/N: and he is doing so good!], Kyoko gave a triumphant look, pushed Sho's hands off her shoulders, grabbed the mop and marched out of the room.

Surprised by her quick retreat, but still appeased with himself for being able to rile her up in just the right way, Sho smirked in self-satisfaction and turned to follow Saena.

* * *

><p>Kyoko checked her schedule in her locker.<p>

She had just one film shoot today, and it was for a new drama.

_Three Days_ was a drama-mystery about the ways a life could change in just three days. The drama would only have three one-hour episodes, but Kyoko was very excited for the role—it was for the protagonist in the drama! The main character, Yuki, was from a happy, well-to-do family. Or happy enough, thanks to the love of her father. When he tragically, mysteriously disappears and is presumed dead, her step-mother and step-sister abandon her and she's left to fend for herself. By chance, she's able to impress the owner of a restaurant, who takes her in during rush hour. There, she meets a chef who just might know something about her father… That was as much as she had read, anyways.

The whole filming operation was a bit of a rush job and she'd only been announced the role yesterday—she hadn't even understood Sawara-san's email when he informed her last night—plus she'd been out with Kanae and Chiori. She'd forgotten to tell Tsuruga-san, too. Kyoko winced. _I feel like I'm jinxing myself. _Muttering to herself, Kyoko tried to think of some protective charms. That idiot's weird behavior was _definitely_ a bad omen.

"—can't believe her! I'm going to be so late to my next shoot!"

Kyoko's head shot up as Kanae's voice announced her presence just before she opened the door to the LoveMe locker room, Chiori trailing behind her.

Upon entering the room, Kanae froze at the sight of Kyoko. Kyoko smiled thinly while Chiori looked over Kanae's shoulder.

"Oh, Kyoko-chan, we didn't realize you'd be here."

Kanae huffed, quickly moving over to her locker, opening it quickly and rummaging around for a script. Kanae had pieced it together by now. Looking over at the forced smile on Kyoko's face, Kanae asked, "Did she say anything to you?"

Kyoko almost didn't say anything, but remembered Sho's strange encouragement from earlier. _That woman doesn't know me at all. It doesn't matter._ Keeping up her smile, she looked up at Kanae's back, "Un. She's going to observe my new drama this afternoon. If my acting isn't good enough…" Kyoko trailed off, trying to ignore her burning eyes again. _What's with me?_

Kanae had turned away from her locker, her full attention on Kyoko now. "Kyoko."

Kyoko didn't look up.

"Kyoko, whatever it is she threatens you with, it doesn't matter. She can't hurt you. She can't make you do anything."

Kyoko, forcing the thin smile again, scratched the back of her head. "Well, I'm still a minor. And she's my legal guardian."

"So what? She can't…" Kanae gripped the script in her hands, twisting it, her eyes downcast and shadowed by her hair.

Kyoko dropped the smile and looked down, too. Chiori glanced nervously between the two.

"…it doesn't matter. Kyoko, if there's anyone who can rise to a challenge, it's you! That's how you bested me when we first met, too, and I never regretted losing to you!"

Kyoko still looked down, but now Chiori had caught on, just a little bit. "She's right, Kyoko! Even when we tried to get you to give up on being Natsu, you rose to the challenge and showed us all. You can do it!"

Kyoko looked up to see the encouraging poses and expressions of both her friends. She really didn't want to leave here. Taking a deep breath, Kyoko said, "I won't let you down!" and looked up at them with some renewed vigor.

Kanae and Chiori offered encouraging smiles, and within four seconds, Kyoko had started to tear up.

"Wh-wh-what? What is it?!" Kanae stuttered, surprised as she backed away from Kyoko, into her own locker.

Kyoko looked up at them with shining eyes as the tears started to fall and started blubbering. "You two are my best friends and I don't want to looooose you, wahhhh—"

Kanae looked away, deciding she had a headache. "You handle this," she muttered to Chiori as she moved quickly out of the locker room.

Chiori smiled a little uncomfortably. "Un," she agreed and moved forward to awkwardly pat Kyoko's back.

* * *

><p>Not enough time had passed before she was due at the studio. It was a part of LME, which wasn't a surprise to Kyoko. She was pretty sure Sawara-san and Takarada-san had fought for her to have this role, since she hadn't heard about it at all until the day before filming. For all she knew, the president had organized it as an opportunity for her.<p>

Kyoko shook her head. _Doesn't matter. Just focus on the script._

In the time after parting with Chiori and Kanae, Kyoko had managed to read the rest of the script. Some of the actions of the second scripted day, where a fiery romance develops with the chef, and the third day, where she is reunited with her father thanks to the chef's efforts, seemed a little overwhelming to her. However, she was pretty sure she could act out the first day. On this day, she would start off as a pampered princess, who had just returned home from studying abroad. _I'm Yuki-chan_. _Yuki-chan is an educated college student who has been traveling the world. I have a loving father who dotes on me. I want to become a pastry chef. I've spent years studying in culinary schools across the globe. I am refined and worldly._

Kyoko breathed out, and breathed in Yuki. Opening her eyes here, in the safety of her dressing room, she was perfectly prepared to face her step-mother, who disliked her frivolous husband sending Yuki around the world to expensive culinary schools. She was safe from her indifferent sister, who recognized her mother's issues but was still envious of the father's affection she'd never have. And she was free to pursue her own dreams.

Standing up, she left her dressing room and made her way onto set.

* * *

><p>"Cut!" The director called.<p>

Kyoko looked up, startled out of character.

"That's good, ladies, you're fine. We're just going to move on."

All three women visibly sighed with relief. Kyoko was working with Ayase Fuyuki and Hanasame Aika as the step-mother and step-sister, respectively. They were both surprised to know that Kyoko was the actress for Mio and Natsu, and were impressed. They too were often cast into bully roles such as this, and immediately decided to cheer her on for her chance to shine as a protagonist. Still, acting out animosity from the very first scene was a little awkward, and they were all nervous under the pressure of the rushed filming.

Kyoko let her eyes move into the crowd, where her mother had been standing. _She was gone_. Kyoko's stomach dropped. This was just like the _one time_ she had managed to get her mother to come see her at a school play, only to notice that she had left the audience during the first act. When Kyoko finally got home hours later, she was greeted with a smack and a warning to never waste her mother's time like that again.

_If she's left already_… But then she spotted her, some distance away, talking firmly with the director, who seemed to be trying to talk her out of something. She shook her head sternly and pointed at the stage, her face making sharp lines. Dejectedly, the director sighed and made eye contact with Kyoko.

Making his way back on set while Saena returned to the audience, the director called out, "Is Ichirou-san on set today?"

After some murmurs, a stagehand informed him that he wasn't supposed to be on set until tomorrow's filming and was scheduled elsewhere today. Some of the actors seemed nervous. "Are we acting out the next day already?" "I'm not ready for that!" The director ignored them and did not seem surprised that Ichirou was absent. "Right. Okay, Kijima. Looks like you're acting for him today."

Hidehito Kijima was a man who always tried to feel prepared. He had to admit that having all faces turn towards him while he was trying to catch up on reading the new One Piece chapter—well, he did not feel prepared in the slightest.

* * *

><p><strong>Phew! The second day was really challenging for me, so I had to split it into two chapters. I'm really struggling with Saena's motivations, but I finally decided I had to post something before 219 comes out, even if I haven't totally figured out Saena's character yet. Looking forward to what Nakamura-sensei comes up with for her.<strong>

**Someone out there said this is probably going to take more chapters than I thought, and boy are you right. We'll see how many though. :)**

**That being said, thank you all so much for the reviews, follows, and favorites! Be sure to log in before posting reviews so I can respond to your predictions and questions. ;)**

**This might be more Sho than most people like, but this past summer I read some really great fanfictions that really drew out my sympathy for him. He's such a pitiable character with room for development... That being said, he ain't the hero of this story, no sirree.**

**I did pull him out to encourage Kyoko, though. I felt that, just as Kyoko had shown up to revive him when Vie Ghoul was dragging him down, he needs to have a similar role for her.**

**Still, no Ren in this chapter, boo! Let me know what you thought, and check out my one-shot "My Personal Charm" if you have a chance. Minimalist Ren/Kyoko fluff. **

**Thanks everyone!**


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